8/13/2015

My friends are faithful and regular patrons of this northside establishment and everytime they visit it, my mouth drools.  So, on a recent trip to Chicago and a visit with those friends, we asked them to take us there for dinner.  This is now another notch on my trip I can scratch.

The "honey butter" doesn't really refer to the chicken but to the honey butter served with the chicken that you can apply to it.  It's the same kind of honey butter you grew up spreading on graham crackers but it's SOOO much better on fried chicken.  And this fried chicken comes from the boneless chicken ranch of Larson cartoon fame because they have deboned the thighs and breasts to make it easier to dig into.  There is not ONE ounce of grease on this fried chicken, making it (at least in my book!) the healthiest fried chicken on earth.  I'm not kidding when I say this.  As hot as it was, you could tell it had only come out of a fryer minutes before and even after sitting through our meal, there wasn't any grease dripping.

We got a couple of side dishes with our chicken, choosing the mac and cheese.  Rotini pasta in a great cheddar cheese that was light enough to prevent it sticking and a bacon topping over it, it was delish.  We also got a cole slaw that had kale and cabbage in it that was a refreshing twist and gave it new taste.  The last side was their roasted garlic grits.  They had a nice garlic taste but I thought was made a little on the mild side.  And they were too runny for this southerner and should be thicker but it's difficult to thicken them up and keep them in a consistency to wait for customers to order them so I understand how and why they are the way they are.  The dinners are also served with tasty little cornbreads that are some of the best I've ever eaten.

There is a full bar to choose from to serve your drinks.  We saw a bloody mary circulating for it's orderer that is served with a fried chicken wing in it.  We almost ordered one just for that.  Instead, I had a couple of Oberon (?) draft beers while my companions had a couple bottles of a white wine they really adored.  The staff is the most friendly and outgoing you can find and our friends told us that all the employees are share owners of the restaurant so I imagine that is the reason.  They really love their business and it shows throughout your dining experience.

If you visit one you will return again and again!

8/9/2015

What can I say about this place. The chicken, the atmosphere, the kid friendly patio, the staff, and yes the pimiento Mac & Cheese. Yep, that pretty much sums all the things I can start off with, but I have to step back and think of how to give a non biased review.

The place is bright and you get a sense of community when you first walk in. There's always a friendly smile at the front ready to take your order. Once you place your order its off to find a place to be seated. We chose the outside patio because of our 5 year old. She let her creative juices out on their huge magnetic wall that allowed for her to pretty much let loose while her food came. We been here a few times in the past year and have come to find ourselves judging others by the quality that we find here. With that being said... here's my review.

The pros and cons:

Pros:

- Great chicken. They butcher in house and only use organic free range chickens, which at first bite. You will understand why they are as good as they are. The chicken is lightly dusted with flour from what I can tell and then fried. The chicken was moist inside and had a beautiful crunch on the outside. Our server made sure to remind us to put some of the homemade honey butter on it and it was an even better adventure.

- Will never stop talking about their Pimiento Mac & Cheese. I don't know how to describe it properly, but I can only get it as close as having a homemade southern meal. I truly enjoy ordering it when we go.

- Prices are bit higher than most fried chicken restaurants, but it makes up for it in quality.

- Staff is super friendly

- Their iced teas are brewed in house and you can sweeten them up with simple syrup or agave.. Sweet!

Now onto the bad parts.

Cons:

- Prices are a bit higher than most. I spent $48 on meals for three and we only had 3 drinks, small Man & Cheese, small mashed potatoes, and I think a total of 6 pieces of chicken. This makes it a bit difficult to be an regular with a family. Though its a great place for every other weekend.

- Location could be better, but I guess it's just me wanting this place to be closer to me. I live in Logan Square.

That's pretty much it. The place is solid with their offerings and its shows every time we go and see a full house. Definitely a place to check out.

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  Pimento mac and cheese! Nuff said..

  Pimento mac and cheese! Nuff said..

8/5/2015

What an AMAZING discovery we made during our visit in Chicago!

We (luckily) were staying just a few doors down from HBFC when visiting the city and thought the place looked promising. So happy we tried it because now I have bragging rights over a fun little gem to recommend friends going to visit Chi-Town.

I have never had butter more delicious than the honey butter here. DO take their recommendation and slather on some butter on the fried chicken because it tastes amazing! Their fried chicken is tender, but still crunchy on the outside and has great flavor with or without the butter.

I also tried their pimento mac and cheese, which, while it is definitely a favorite, is a VERY strong cheese. Think cheddar x5! So if you are averse to strong cheese flavors, this might not be for you. It is a little "watery" for those who are die hard no liquid mac n cheesers, but I personally enjoyed the flavors quite a bit.

I also tried the kale coleslaw, which is also a bit saucy but tastes great. I ended up finishing the entire side and wishing I had more, since it offers a really nice balance to the fried chicken. Love their corn muffins, especially with that delicious butter.

There is a really great patio out back to catch some sunshine, as well as a few indoor seating areas. If you're in the area, I would definitely recommend!

7/7/2015

I am a fan, but I was annoyed with a few aspects of this place. Came here to check this off my Chicago bucket list, maybe I would have had a better experience if this place wasn't overly hyped?

Walking up on a Saturday night at around 7, I called ahead of time and the hostess told me that we would have to wait at minimum 15 minutes to be seated. That's not bad for a Saturday at all. What she didn't mention, and what I didn't know until we got there, was that you have to wait in line to order your food first before being seated. That means, despite countless open tables surrounding us, we had to wait in line standing for 20 minutes to place our order before being seated. There was one guy working the register, and about 20 people standing before us. Why we couldn't be seated first and then order is beyond me.

Placed our order, I got the two piece fried honey butter chicken with cornbread, kale slaw, sweet potato salad, and a rhubarb cocktail. Boyfriend got the buffalo chicken sandwich with pimento mac and cheese, and a beer.

Great patio seating outside, very friendly wait staff, and the food came out in about 5 minutes after being seated. The fried chicken was some of the best I've ever had, they tell you to spread the honey butter on it, which I'd never done before, but it makes or breaks the experience if you don't. Boyfriend's sandwich was amazing, but with a leftover pool of buffalo sauce on the platter, way too much sauce. Mac and cheese was excellent, but kale slaw was beyond bland. Just basically shaved kale with a plain white sauce of some kind (not sure if mayonnaise or greek yogurt?). Sweet potatoes were excellent, but served cold, so it was a little strange. It was a sweet potato salad, so I get that potato salad is usually served cold, but even a guy we were sitting next to chirped up and agreed that it would taste better served hot.

All in all good food, but not worth waiting in line for. I would come back, but after spending around 30$ on just myself for fried chicken and mediocre sides, I would order ahead and get takeout instead. Definitely extreme hit or miss with what you decide to order, I would suggest sticking to the fried chicken individual pieces or sandwiches, mac and cheese, and the creamed corn which looked good but we didn't get to try.

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  Buffalo chicken sandwich with pimento Mac and cheese, really good but way too much sauce

  Buffalo chicken sandwich with pimento Mac and cheese, really good but way too much sauce
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  Two piece honey butter fried chicken with cornbread, sweet potato salad, kale slaw and rhubarb cocktail

  Two piece honey butter fried chicken with cornbread, sweet potato salad, kale slaw and rhubarb cocktail

7/27/2015

Dudes. This shizz is amazing. I've been gettin' down on fried chicken for 30-something years now, and I've had some ridiculously good chicken (my favorite is from a place called Chickens, appropriately... that is the stuff of my childhood dreams!), but I digress...

People in Chicago do not make the fried chicken up to my So-Ill par. I said it. I mean it. But holy crap does Honey Butter Fried Chicken take a killer stab at it.

I've only picked up for carryout a few times, but every single time it is piping hot, crispy, golden, perfect. These aren't mutant KFC chickens. This is legit, delicious, amazing fried chicken. And then you put what on it? Honey butter? I mean give me a freaking break.

Order online, it is ready for pick-up in 15 minutes. FIFTEEN MINUTES, I SAID! That's shorter than it takes for me to drive my happy butt over here, shorter than the amount of time it takes for some angsty broad to give you the Popeye's you ordered in the drive-thru, shorter than running to Jewel to pick up beers to go with your chicken. You get the picture.

Sides are delicious, cornbread is great, chicken is just ridiculous.

Go.

8/12/2015

The actual honey butter is delicious. They corn bread muffins were also pretty damn good. Together they were heavenly. The chicken itself was so so. I don't like paying that much for just dark meat, I prefer to choose what pieces I get but that's how they roll. If you are a fried chicken fanatic you need to try it.  Better than Parsons, but Harold's is still my #1.

8/2/2015

I ordered the 4 piece chicken, and had the sides of Mac and cheese and sweet potato salad.
The chicken was great! The honey butter was delicious. I literally want to stock pile on that itself and just add it to everything. The Mac & cheese was also very good. I liked the sweet potato salad, and I know it's a salad and salads are not warm. But it just was so strange eating it cold. I wanted it to be warm so bad, I think it would have went from good, to outstanding.
The service is friendly and attentive! Overall I will be back!

5/8/2015

Fried chicken is one of my four major food groups.  The others being chili, bananas, and string cheese.  Fried chicken is probably the most exciting.

I'm a Parson's fan and have been known to visit more than once a week, but I'm open to all forms of fried yard bird and needed to cross HBFC off my bucket (beak-et?) list.  The teaser I had with Piece's HBFC pizza was just not enough.  I wasn't disappointed with our visit.  

I tried a two piece order of chicken and my companion got the fried onion string sandwich and we split a pimento cheese mac.  A little of that thing goes a long way, but was quite good.  I liked that the chicken was very crisp on the outside but moist on the inside and the paprika is a great touch.  Obviously that honey butter is delish as well.  

The space isn't huge, but if you don't go at prime time, or now that it's warm, hit the patio, you should be ok.  We're both totally all about going back.  Someday I'll hit all the chicken hot-spots in one massive chicken crawl and then promptly die on the sidewalk.

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  Chicken basking in the sun

  Chicken basking in the sun

7/26/2015

Put the honey butter on the chicken!  PUT IT ON THE CHICKEN, I SAID!

Delicious, greasy, and decadent. Beware lines out the door that are near reminiscent of Hot Dogs.

7/25/2015

Tasty buffalo wings! Definitely will come back. Wished the corn muffins were warm but that's a minor detail.

Service was great and the food came out quickly and piping hot. The honey butter is not too sweet and gives the chicken that "chicken and waffle" taste that folks are into.

Chicken moist and crunchy. The Mac and cheese was ok.

Everyone enjoyed the food. Eating out on the patio is a nice touch too.

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  Awesome wings!!!

  Awesome wings!!!

7/14/2015

I don't have the words! Perfectly crispy, seasoned, juicy fried chicken with no bones! (Except for the drumstick). But I was amazed by how tender and meaty each piece of chicken is. You get a lot of chicken without all the fat, tendons, and other undesirable parts. Just juicy, crispy, yummy chicken. I could talk about their chicken all day. Don't forget to put the honey butter on it! The corn muffins feel like an afterthought, but they are still yummy.

We tried the pimento mac and cheese and the smashed potatoes. They are perfect complements to the fried chicken, but I wouldn't say they stand on their own as spectacular. The chicken is definitely the star. We sat outside and enjoyed some refreshing iced tea (free refills) and a Damned Good Sweet Iced Tea made with Death Door's white whiskey. Perfect for a summer day.

I can't wait to go back and try their chicken sandwiches. We went around 3 pm and they were still pretty hopping but not packed. They don't take reservations because they just have counter service, so heads up that they are very busy for brunch. With many options for how many pieces of chicken you want and a lot of delicious flavor for the price, I can only recommend that you make sure you get enough chicken! A four and two piece with two sides was a good amount for two hungry people. But be prepared to want more! (Soon, real soon)

4/22/2015

Disclaimer * I'm a vegetarian going to a chicken restaurant so I cannot comment on the primary food item.

I came here for brunch with my husband and some friends after seeing it on check please. I was expecting it to be line out the door crazy busy. However, while it was bustling, it wasn't ridiculously busy.

I ordered a Bloody Mary which was delicious! It was spicy and had quite a kick which I liked. It came with a chicken wing garnish which I thought was cute. They had a pretty good beer collection too.

I ordered the Mac n cheese and biscuits. I also tried my husband's grits. All the food was good, but the star was the honey butter. Omg. I could eat tubs of that. My husband said that the chicken was good, but there is better chicken to be had.

One comment about the clientele- lots of babies. So if you're not a baby person, don't come here on a Saturday morning.

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  That's a Bloody Mary with chicken in it

  That's a Bloody Mary with chicken in it

6/25/2015

This place is everything. I took some convincing to get me through the door, I just didn't understand what could be so special about fried chicken. And then, my world changed.

After many nudges, my guy got me in the door. We ordered some honey butter fried chicken, wings, and pimento mac and cheese. We also enjoyed the natural sodas. Within a bite, my body now began to crave HBFC. My mouth is watering just writing this review.

The chicken is tender and juicy- the breading is to die for. The pimento mac and cheese is basically what my dreams are made of. I order it for holidays now and it makes the family especially happy. The wings were cooked to perfection and just excellent.

On top of an amazing food experience, I have had nothing but pleasant, sincere, and kind interactions with the people working and the owners (who are generally always there).

What a cool little family owned joint. I have become and will remain a loyal regular here.

8/2/2015

Came up for brunch on a Sunday; place wasn't crowded, food was served quickly. Really enjoyed the root beer made with pure can sugar.

I had the brunch portion of chicken and grits and a side of sweet chili Thai wings. My companions shared a 4 piece of chicken and a side of mac and cheese, and a couple other things I don't remember.

I get where the appeal is putting the honey butter on the chicken, that's fine. We'll get to that.

The chicken and grits came with a fried egg on top, and it was a decent sized potion and very good. The Thai wings were just all right. The mac and cheese had pimento cheese, which certainly wasn't what I was expecting. I don't know if pimento cheese works, especially in a town where milder cheeses are the norm for the old standby.

Now, the fried chicken. Was it awesome? No. Was it good? Yes, and I definitely like the decadence of putting a very good honey butter concoction on your chicken, but the chicken has to be hot so it melts, and doesn't look like you're putting frosting on your drumstick. Ours was not.

So, would I go back? Sure. Would I go back at a time where people are waiting for hours to get this? Hell no. I'm glad to have gotten it while I could.

7/20/2015

Really good fried chicken.  Guys, stop going to Parson's.  It's not that good.  HBFC is way better.  Perfectly seasoned, very moist, very delicious.  It's a little expensive, but you will forget about that once you bite into this chicken.  I also had sides of the mashed potatoes and the collard greens.  The potatoes were amazing although there could have been a bit more gravy.  The collard greens were interesting... I have only had them one other time so I don't really have much to compare them with.  They seemed fine, though.  The point is.....  you need to get this chicken in your life.

7/19/2015

Been here before, but since I'm a yelper now im yelping.
Ordered the brunch special Biscuits and gravy with a piece of chicken and an egg. Was pretty good. Though being a classic bisquit and gravy guy I was expecting more of a white gravy. The gravy was a chicken gravy, still pretty good. The only problem with the bisquit is that it was one. Could have been more. Im fat, i need busquits. The piece of fried chicken was boneless thigh. Really only like breast meat. But good fried chicken can even make the parts you dont like taste good, Honey Butter does that. The egg was sunny side up. Havent had that in a long time. It was really good and went well with everything else. Overall, very impressive. Highly recommend this place.
If you do come here expect more from the food. The staff could be friendlier, friendliest was one of the lady servers. Pretty also.
Also, tried my nieces pimento mac n cheese since shes picky and no way should get near it.  It was great. Just wish they had smoked ham. Would be a killer combo, maybe one day and Im in Chicago when that happens.

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  Yummy!!! Biscuits and gravy with boneless fried chicken thigh and a sunny side up egg

  Yummy!!! Biscuits and gravy with boneless fried chicken thigh and a sunny side up egg

2/28/2015

Go here for brunch and order the following:

Chicken and Grits- creamy roasted garlic grits topped with tender roast chicken, chicken cracklings, buffalo honey sauce, and a fried egg.
Biscuits and Gravy- open faced biscuit topped with fried chicken, gravy, and a fried egg.
Pimento Mac & Cheese- Wisconsin cheddar, garlic bread crumbs.

Shared these items today, and both of us thought the food was exceptional. The flavors and execution were on point. We arrived right when they opened at 11am. The room was filled before noon. You have to be patient. This isn't a fast food joint so the food takes a while to arrive, but once you begin eating, you'll realize it's worth the wait. I've had other items here like the individual pieces of fried chicken, fried chicken sandwich, dump cake, etc. These are all good, but the above three are phenomenal. Highly recommend!

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  Fried chicken on a biscuit with gravy and a fried egg. Pimento mac & cheese in the background. Both excellent!

  Fried chicken on a biscuit with gravy and a fried egg. Pimento mac & cheese in the background. Both excellent!
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  Brunch chicken and grits. Fantastic!

  Brunch chicken and grits. Fantastic!

7/5/2015

Kudos to the creativity with the entrées.
Like someone said before me. The staff is very friendly & welcoming. The have goose island root beer, That gets an A+ from me. The patio is  a great place to sit and enjoy your food while catching some rays and hanging with your buds / family / significant other.
But the only reason I am giving them three stars is because I can not say that I was wowed by their Mac & cheese as others have been. Was pleased with The Original Fried Chicken Sandwich but did not seem to be fresh as if the just had made it. Had a cool feel to it.
But don't get me wrong. It was cooked all the way through.
The Kale & Cabbage Slaw was delicious.

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  Honey Butter Fried Chicken Patio

  Honey Butter Fried Chicken Patio
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  The original fried chicken sandwich, pimento mac & cheese, kale & cabbage slaw...

  The original fried chicken sandwich, pimento mac & cheese, kale & cabbage slaw...
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  Entrance / ordering counter..

  Entrance / ordering counter..

6/9/2015

Honestly...I'm a bit disappointed. I've been excited to go here for a while. The chicken just didn't meet my expectations. It wasn't bad..it simply wasn't worth the hype. It was just a little too dry for my tastes.. The honey butter was delicious, but it didn't make up for the subpar chicken. I feel like the chicken should have been of a higher quality because of how much we paid (a 4 piece fried chicken with honey butter and 3 mini corn muffins was $15).

With all that said, I did love the corn muffins. The patio in the back was pretty awesome as well.

I probably won't go back to HBFC. I want their honey butter recipe though!

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  4 piece fried chicken, corn muffins, mac and cheese

  4 piece fried chicken, corn muffins, mac and cheese

7/20/2015

Butter on fried chicken? Enough said.

The chicken is super crispy on the outside and really juicy inside. It's a perfect combo. When you add the butter on top and some cornbread, it is perfection. The cocktails are solid too and chilling on the back patio on a cool Chicago night is great. They have some pretty solid vegetarian options as well. Other menu favorites of mine are the Kale and Cabbage slaw and fired onion & hummus sandwich.

5/8/2015

"Dude, Cormac, wanna go try this really good place for chicken on Thursday?"

"I dunno, Theo, I'm getting fitted for my bespoke suit that day."

"The line's only like an hour long, Cormac!"

"Where's it located?! That's like nothing compared to other popular spots we hit up on our $600, 38 year-old bikes"

"Up in Avondale, on Elston Ave."

"Oh man, I'm there. Just lemme look up where Elston Ave. is."

(30 minutes later)

"Oh sh*t, Cormac. Look at all the fried chicken I get for $15. Four pieces! Nice!"

"Dude, I just ordered some mac and cheese AND mash and some cornbread. Totally worth half of our electric bill payment!"

"Theo! Dude, so many cans of beer that I pretend to know to choose from. They don't even give you a glass so you can show off to all the other scenesters what you're drinking!"

"Totally gonna ride the Puch here for the back patio...hope it dosen't get stolen in this sketchy hood, though."

"Naw, Cormac. Just use Uber."

2nd star for the patio.
Otherwise, you just paid $45 to eat a fried chicken dinner.
On old Elston Ave.
After waiting 45 minutes in line.

8/1/2015

I like the interior design and their music. The chicken tastes good. And the people there are very friendly.

7/13/2015

I've been wanting to visit this place for MONTHS and when I finally did, IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! Everything my friend and I ordered was beyond our expectations. Of course the main attraction is the chicken but the sides were just as phenomenal. The sides weren't simply traditional and had their own twist of flavor and freshness. I have nothing bad to say about HBFC. Location is PERFECT because parking is free (for now). It's like a hidden gem because it's never a long wait to order or and you seat yourself. The outdoor space is lively and I can only imagine what it's like at night because of the lighting and atmosphere. So far, I've been twice but I wish I could go back every weekend. Unfortunately, the distance from my house and waistline won't allow it.

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  Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit, Pimento Mac & Cheese, Roasted Garlic Grits, Roasted Sweet Potato Salad, Kale & Cabbage Slaw

  Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit, Pimento Mac & Cheese, Roasted Garlic Grits, Roasted Sweet Potato Salad, Kale & Cabbage Slaw
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  Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit, Pimento Mac & Cheese, Roasted Garlic Grits, Roasted Sweet Potato Salad, Kale & Cabbage Slaw

  Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit, Pimento Mac & Cheese, Roasted Garlic Grits, Roasted Sweet Potato Salad, Kale & Cabbage Slaw
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  Challah French Toast with Bourbon Maple Syrup and Honey Butter

  Challah French Toast with Bourbon Maple Syrup and Honey Butter
• See all photos from Janelle H. for Honey Butter Fried Chicken

5/3/2015

Very cute,  quaint neighborhood eatery. Saw it on Check Please and brought my family of 4 out to sample.

The fried chicken was really well seasoned and my drumstick was definitely kicked up a notch with the honey butter. It was weird to me to lather the chicken with the butter but I appreciated the taste. My husband was not so convinced it was the right thing to do having the sweet versus savory argument. He did enjoy the fried chicken sandwich though. Our cornbread was tasty. The pimento mac and cheese was good,  the creamy grits even better. The collard greens were average, a little undercooked and not much to talk about. The coleslaw was just too extra and not in a good way. It seems that the recipe is so far away from traditional cole slaw that you would have to acquire the taste for it which none of the 4 of us did.

The food is well prepared and fresh but make no mistake in thinking you are having traditional southern cuisine. It was a cool ecletic revamp. We also really enjoyed the sofa fountain offering black cherry, ginger ale and mandarin orange beverages.

We drove an hour plus from home to dine here and it was worth the experience dining out on the patio during an awesome weather Saturday listening to jazz music. I do feel that for the price of $65 for 2 adults,  a teenager and an 8 year old to eat fried chicken and sides was a bit pricey for what we received in value.  It was nice but no one was blown away. If I was in the neighborhood again I would stop in.

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  A nice spread but a little pricey for the value.

  A nice spread but a little pricey for the value.

6/2/2015

Must have- the classic chicken sandwich, pickle of the day

In the vein of modern twists on soul classics, Honey Butter Fried Chicken infuses traditional southern home cooking with contemporary flavor profiles and modern twists. The service was good, but even in an off hour, the limited seating is packed, especially when the patio is closed.

The fried chicken had got a great crisp crust with some zing that really shines when slathered in honey butter. The chicken pieces are smaller, but my basis of comparison are those huge, juicy, and pumped full of chemicals southern fried chicken.

The sides are good compliments. The Mac and cheese has a sharp cheddar and strong pimento flavor and is complimented nicely by the excellent kale slaw. The cobbler of the day had good flavors, but was all mush and texturally unappealing.

The sandwiches are really standouts- they combine the good chicken with complimentary flavors and textures in a joy between bread slices. Always worth trying the new featured sandwich.

8/9/2015

As a southerner, finding the best damn fried chicken in Chicago was a pleasant surprise! Well worth the wait, as they cook each order fresh. Don't miss the sweet potato salad, grits, collard greens or creamed corn either. Pure cane sugar sodas from the fountain, a great selection of local craft beers, and homemade desserts round out the experience.

This place is as much a must as pizza and hot dogs!

5/30/2015

I woke up this morning to my wife talking about fried chicken. This is notable because, in general, she's not a fan of fried chicken. She won't eat meat on the bone, and the notion of consuming skin is something she's just not interested in.

So yeah, I had to jump on this opportunity. She did a bit of research and confirmed honey butter had some boneless options, so we hopped in the car and headed up to Avondale.

Thankfully it was a bit cold and rainy out, so the brunch line wasn't too bad. I can only imagine how crazy it gets when it's warm and the patio is open. They've got a pretty efficient system in place, and the wait for food really wasn't terrible, but still... the place gets packed. We sat in the back, against the wall and were promptly served our drinks.

My wife got the traditional HBFC bloody mary, which had a chicken wing floating on top that I immediately gobbled up. Delicious and salty! I ordered the threesome (Michelada with tequila) which was quite nice. I actually preferred it to my wife's bloody, which felt a little under seasoned and under boozed. Good regardless.

As for the chicken? Was it the best I've had in Chicago? No... but it was good. The seasoning was great. While I'm happy my wife was able to enjoy a boneless breast (which she really did!) I found the bone in leg to be much more moist and delicious.

Smearing some of the honey butter on the chicken was certainly decedent. Such a wonderful combination of savory and sweet. As for spicy, the honey buffalo dipping sauce was delicious, though I question the $1.50 charge for what really should have been free. Same for the delicious garlic aioli. Delicious but seriously? $1.50 for an ounce of sauce. Kind of ridiculous, but still, yes... delicious. I'm not actually complaining here.

We loved the sides by the way. The Thai green curry creamed corn was served up ridiculously hot, but we gladly burned our mouths. The pimento mac & cheese could have used both more pimento and cheese, but was great. The kale and cabbage slaw with cumin felt out of place, but was awesome. I could have easily eaten an entire bowl if I wasn't eating anything else.

Oh and yes... The cornbread biscuits were terrific, with of course that luscious honey butter. Goddamn. So nice.

While the chicken wasn't unbelievable, it was the combination of all of the textures and flavors on one plate that made it. We really enjoyed our meal, and there is no question we'll be back.

*diabetics, take way more insulin than you think you need. there is honey in everything!

8/9/2015

For all the hype this place gets, I was a little disappointed. The batter on the chicken has great flavor, but it wasn't super crispy. I also found the honey butter to be too sweet, so I didn't enjoy that on my chicken. It is also very expensive...for an 8 pc with some very small sides, we paid 40 bucks. I'm more of a Harold's kind of girl, I think.

4/16/2015

The butter was tasty, but that's it.

The chicken was overcooked and tasted fishy. Either the oil wasn't the right temp and they cooked it too long or the oil was old and needed to be switched out. At that point it didn't really matter. At $15 for a 4 piece and your sign reads FRIED CHICKEN, then you better know how to do it right every single time.

The smashed potatoes were overcooked and the mac & cheese tasted like the jabañero cheetos. I started to wonder if the noodles were just tossed in the Tostitos salsa con queso dip.

This place is nothing to brag about, but again to each their own. Sometimes you either love something or you hate it. I personally don't care for establishments that don't take pride in their name. Is all about the money? Best wishes!

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  4 piece fried chicken Sides Smashed potatoes Mac & cheese

  4 piece fried chicken Sides Smashed potatoes Mac & cheese

7/25/2015

Honey butter... Atop fried chicken with just the right amount of kick. Simply put it is amazing.  

My girlfriend and I have been wanting to go to HBFC for some time now, and finally made it for the first time last night 7/24/15.  We ordered a two piece chicken (which comes with corn bread) an order of wings, and the mac n cheese.  It all lived up to the hype.  The chicken was so tender with a kick of spice and the honey butter set it off.  The Mac was thick, creamy, and delicious.  The honey butter is amazing on anything you order.

It was no surprise to us the food was amazing, but it was not the best part of our visit.  From the moment we ordered our food, to the moment we got up to leave we experienced the absolute best customer service we'd ever seen.  Every single person was extremely kind, helping, prompt, and very personal when having a conversation.  

We will be back! Often.  We also signed up for the email list with a little hope to get invited to the secret dinners up stairs!  Thank you HBFC, and this is a must try for everyone.

5/7/2015

This space is amazing (outdoor patio!), the drinks are delicious, and the honey butter is heavenly.  

The fried chicken was fried very well; moist inside and crispy on the outside.  The honey butter was so good and it added the perfect amount of sweetness to our chicken.  We had the original honey butter fried chicken sandwich and the LA LOUISIANNE.  I enjoyed the honey butter fried sandwich much more than the Louisianne (it had too much mustard for my taste).

We ordered the mac and cheese and kale cole slaw as our sides.  The cole slaw had a nice crunch to it and the mac and cheese was very cheesy.  

We tried the damn good sweet tea and it was delicious.  I wish the glasses were bigger because I wanted more.

Overall I think this place was ok.  It's competing with other BBQ and fried chicken places on the Northside and while the chicken was delicious the sides were only ok.

4/6/2015

I'm not a connoisseur of fried chicken, but I think I can safely say this is the best you'll get in Chicago.  I really enjoyed my food experience here and I'd go back again.  

They seem to know what they're doing with the table-waiting situation, but if you find yourself waiting after you've ordered, there's a small bar in back where you can sit and have a drink.  I tested that space out since I arrived early and was waiting for friends.  Prices are reasonable and they have a couple of in-house cocktails that seem good (like spiked tea and lemonade).  I think this are of the restaurant would be great once it's warm and their patio is open - definitely a place I'd consider for a summer night out.  

The food is reasonably priced and the menu is big enough that you don't have to feel like a piece of fried chicken is your only food option.  I got the fried chicken sandwich which was EXCELLENT with the spicy mayo and some kind of giardinara on top.  The bread didn't get too soggy and the chicken stayed super crispy.  

The sides all come separate but it's worth ordering a few and sharing with the table.  The grits were delish, as was the cornbread (order extra) but the greens were too bitter for my tastes.  I'd say go with the grits, cornbread, and mac and cheese - all sides that are always good, no matter what.  

Speaking of cornbread - that honey butter on the cornbread is DELICIOUS.  You have to get it and eat it with the honey butter.  The honey butter is clearly their specialty and it's amazing.  It's just the right amount of sweet added to really yummy whipped butter.  Comes out tasting like excellence.  

I'll be back, which is not a thing I say of many places.  Usually I'll only go back if the occasion arises (meaning someone invites me) but I'll definitely go out of my way to eat here again.

10/19/2014

Slow your roll. The prices are too high to make a mistake with something like the Pimento Mac'N Cheese.

It looks like the hype has calmed; we hardly waited in line and there were plenty of seats. I ordered the 2-Piece Fried Chicken, the side of Pimento Mac'N Cheese, and a can of Vander Mill cider. I didn't find it to be outrageously priced, but I felt bad shelling out that much cash when the show stopper was the Corn Muffins. They say to "put the butter on the bird." I tried that, and it was tasty, but I felt the drumstick was great all on its own and their signature honey butter went much better with the bread. I also thought the paprika on the chicken was a nice touch but someone sprinkled it with too heavy a hand.

The Vander Mill cider was familiar and reliable. No complaints there. I feel macaroni and cheese should be the same. So, I was terribly let down to find that, despite the Velveeta-like yellow hue and consistency throughout, I couldn't detect the Wisconsin cheddar from the item description. Instead, I was assaulted by pimiento flavoring in every bite. A bold, peppery noodle dish it was. Mac & Cheese, IMO, it was not. My dining companion apologized for not warning me and said he'd tried it once before and has never ordered it again.

• 

  2-Piece Fried Chicken with Pimento Mac'N Cheese.

  2-Piece Fried Chicken with Pimento Mac'N Cheese.

3/28/2015

Very good service and very good food, BUT for the price I would like more chicken. I ordered the French toast and Chicken. I had two big pieces of French toast but one small fried chicken breast. My parents ordered the Chicken & Grits and ended up ordering an extra piece of chicken.

But I will definitely be back. The food was very good. I love Louisiana inspired restaurants because Cajun/Creole are one of my favorite cuisines.

All is good, just give us a little more chicken.

• 

  French Toast and Chicken. Very good but I would've liked another piece of chicken.

  French Toast and Chicken. Very good but I would've liked another piece of chicken.

3/28/2015

I wish I could give this place 6 stars. Came here before a revolution brewery tour and it was hands down one of the best lunches I have ever had.

I had the original honey butter fried chicken sandwich. The jalapeño mayo was delicious!! Also tried the pimento Mac and cheese as well as the Thai curry creamed corn. Not to mention Daisy Cutter tall boys.. Does it get better?

Can't wait to come back when it's warm to check out the outdoor patio!

• 

  Original honey butter fried chicken

  Original honey butter fried chicken
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  Pimento Mac and cheese

  Pimento Mac and cheese

6/13/2015

Lotta reviews for this place, and I pass it by going to work so I made sure to try it out. Came on a hot afternoon, the patio here is pretty nice. I got the 2 piece for $8, pretty small pieces :( The server reminded me to put the "honey butter" on the chicken as he brought my food. Infact there are signs which say the same thing in this place. After eating the chicken I know why. The chicken wasn't as crispy as I would like, and also didn't have much flavor at all, lacked seasoning. The honey butter just gave the chicken a more sweet taste. Corn muffins were pretty good, but for me the pimento mac n cheese was the best, very rich with a small kick. Wish the menu had more options as well, maybe chicken n waffles. Dissapointed that the star attraction of this place is really  sweet butter I guess that's what's supposed to make this place unique. For the price I feel this spots overrated!

• 

  Spicy brownie

  Spicy brownie
• 

  2 piece

  2 piece
• 

  Pimento Mac n cheese

  Pimento Mac n cheese

3/19/2015

Fried chicken, cole slaw, mashed potatoes and thai curry cream corn. I really enjoyed this modern take on soul food. Kind of a fusion type feel with asian influences. I think that most of the food was just okay. It didnt really blow my socks off or leave a very long lasting impression.

The best part of the meal was actually the the corn muffin in my opinion. I could have happily eaten a dozen of those. Chicken was moist and flavorful but the batter was kind of soggy and not crisp enough to my liking. Chicken fat mashed potatoes definitely and the unctuous chicken flavor but slowly made me feel sick and heavy.

Pretty good food for a fair price. Would probably go somewhere else for some better friend chicken though.

• 

  Fried Chicken, Chicken Fat Mashed Potatos

  Fried Chicken, Chicken Fat Mashed Potatos

5/2/2015

This place I must say is pretty damn good! I must admit, it is a little overpriced but it will not disappoint you. Like most people, we got the honey butter fried chicken. What exactly does that entail? You are given the chicken and some honey butter to slap it on top of your chicken. What amazed me the most is how quickly the butter melted and when I took that first bite, it was the best buttered chicken I ever ate! Another thing I really liked was that there wasn't as much grease. Usually when I'm eating friend chicken, it's really greasy and oily but this chicken opt that problem out which was perfect. We also had the mashed potatoes and it was pretty average. If anything, i would only come back for the fried chicken because with that and the butter, it's the best duo.

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  Honey butter fried chicken

  Honey butter fried chicken

3/16/2015

Ok - I was hesitant to try and go at the last minute on unofficial Chicago St. Patrick's day, but I did it anyway and I am glad that I did.

We lucked out and didn't have a ton of folks ahead of us in line (I can't say the same thing about when we left!).  

I tried the buffalo chicken sandwich and also had a bite of the honey butter fried chicken 'regular' chicken sandwich.  Both were AMAZING.  OMG - I want to eat this every day.

The space is night and they have a great back patio.  I assume it's packed almost always.  Prices are reasonable and they also had some fun drink specials, though we didn't try them out.  

All in all, a great spot, perfect for lunch, dinner or take-out.  Really friendly staff and amazing and delicious food!

6/8/2015

4pcs + 3 sides + 2 lemonades = $37. Eep.
It's a little stiff for two people, but you can't argue the quality, service and flavor that comes pouring out of this place with love. I have been once for bruch: fried chicken over french toast with honey butter and a maple bourbon glaze (till my favorite thing here so far). The two times I came for dinner, I had friend chicken with a variety of sides. The lime/chili sweet potatoes were excellent - but a weird flavor combo with the honey butter chicken. I wouldn't recommend 'em. Pimento mac n cheese is solid. The classics of cabbage/kale slaw and mashed taters in gravy are the way to go!

*I don't know who does the hiring here, but they have an eye for having overall handsome guys on staff. Just a word to the ladies. ;)

6/30/2015

I LOOOOOVE this place. Amazing fried chicken close to home? Yes please.

I am mystified by the amount of people on here complaining about the prices here;

1) Don't tell me you don't look at menus online before you go?? Surely you were aware of how much it's going to cost?

2)   It's about quality ingredients folks - humanely raised, antibiotic free chickens from Miller Amish Farms in Indiana, butchered in house. And sustainable practices - all their packaging (cups, straws etc) is compostable and biodegradable, which isn't cheap.

If you want battery-raised, antibiotic chicken that's been prepped in some factory then go to KFC and pay KFC prices. Rant over, back to the chicken:

I love the chicken here, crispy, tasty coating and sooo succulent inside. Slathering the delicious honey butter on the outside seems very, very wrong but tastes very, very right!
Sides are pretty good, especially the kale slaw and the sweet potato salad.
I also recommend their buffalo wings as an add-on if you're feeling hungry, they are very good (I liken them to a more korean style of wing, like you get at Crisp)

Great drink selection, especially the craft cocktails - i recommend the Avondale Mule. Also their lemonade here is good. Even better when pared with one of their locally-sourced bourbons!

I love the patio here too. Great place to eat outside.

Be warned this place is popular and gets pretty busy but don't be put off by a line out the door - it moved pretty quickly.

7/1/2015

Fried chicken is having a moment in Chicago, and this Avondale option has a lot to offer. I appreciated the cute patio, the friendly service, and the restaurant's commitment to humanely raised poultry. Even local and cane sugar-based sodas! All of that is a big thumbs up for me.

But if your chicken is just okay, it doesn't matter that it was the happiest bird that ever clucked. I want the humanely raised, antiobiotic-free, farm-fresh etc. etc. etc. chicken that makes me drool into my plate. I want to have fever-dreams about that chicken. The meat here was of good quality but not juicy and the breading arrived a little cold. The honey butter was delicious, but it should be a nice addition, not a necessary one. There is better chicken to be had.

My friend and I liked the sides. The grits were the standout; they were creamy but not loaded down in cheese, so you actually tasted the sweetness of the corn. The chicken schmatz in the mashed potatoes made them rich and no-gravy-necessary. My friend liked the kale, but it was a miss for me; I had a large blob of the yogurt sauce and it made for an unappetizing bite.

If I hear about any improvements to the chicken itself, I'd come back. But for this price, I'll look elsewhere for my fried chicken fix.

7/30/2015

Two of the three stars are just for the honey butter.  The chicken can be overly salty sometimes and the Mac and cheese is terrible.  They use a pimento cheese which tastes awful and is a complete disappointment.  Service is always good but food is not good enough  to keep me coming back.

6/15/2015

I would give this place 3.5 stars, but it's not an option.

We got there at 530 on a Sunday, place was not busy at not. Not really a line, a few people seated inside, so my husband + I sit down with our sleeping baby who is in her stroller while we wait for friends. We are there a whole 2 minutes when a guy with menus comes up to us and says, you can't sit there. It's first come first serve. My husband tells him we are waiting for friends, they are parking. The guy goes, you can sit at the bar. Seriously? The place is not packed at all, I can understand if there were people waiting for tables, but that was not the case. My husband was ticked. We had to navigate our way through the tables, through the bar and to the patio area with the stroller, thank goodness we had used our smaller stroller and our baby stayed asleep. The guy didn't have to be so rude. It's our first time there, again, the place is not crowded. Why would we sit at the bar? There aren't any tables there, it's all high tops. We get outside, there are a lot of tables available, my husband orders our food while I stay with the baby. Our friends came a few minutes after.

So my husband + I get a 4 piece meal (dark meat), mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, iced tea and a beer. They give you a number and bring the food out to the table. It took about 20 minutes or so for our food to get to us, which is fine. The chicken was really good. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. The honey butter was good, but I don't really know why you would need extra? They give you a good amount and I didn't even use half of it. I don't think you need that much. My husband didn't like the honey butter at all, it was too sweet for him. Mashed potatoes were good, mac and cheese, I nearly spit that out. Gross. Didn't like that at all. It tasted like it came out of a box. Also didn't really like the corn bread, was okay, kind of stale, so maybe we didn't get a fresh batch? So 4 pieces of chicken, 2 sides, one drink and a beer was $40. It was good, I would go back, but I would tell my husband to skip the beer and skip the mac and cheese and hopefully we don't run into the rude guy again. Seriously. Most restaurants we've been too that are nice sit down places and more formal have been more accommodating when we have our daughter with us. This place is more casual, you think they wouldn't be so anal about tables when the place isn't even half full.

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  4 piece meal with mashed potatoes and mac n cheese. Skip the mac n cheese...

  4 piece meal with mashed potatoes and mac n cheese. Skip the mac n cheese...

8/1/2015

The line was out the door on a Saturday night. We wanted to grab some to go so call in a order ahead of time to cut down on wait time.
The chicken is Amazing! It was well worth the wait!

8/4/2015

Came here and had the four piece (which comes with corn bread) and the pimento mac n' cheese. To be honest, I was a little underwhelmed.

The chicken itself was pretty good but it didn't wow me. It wasn't super crunchy and that's what I like so it was a little disappointing. I like the spices and butter on the chicken and can definitely appreciate that the chicken is locally raised.

The corn bread and mac n' cheese were meh.

Their cocktails sounded pretty good and they also have a nice array of craft beers.

I'd would come back here to try the chicken sandwiches but was a little sad this place wasn't as good as I was expecting.

7/30/2015

Overall, this place is pretty delicious. Their honey butter is obviously the star item of this place and literally goes well with basically anything. I went with a few people last night and they loved the place as well. The outside decor is very cute and cozy. We ordered the creamy corn, sweet potato, mashed potatoes and Mac n cheese side dishes. Creamy corn is definitely my favorite side from here. The drumsticks are moist and pack a lot of flavor, esp with the honey butter. If you have a craving for fried chicken, this is the place to go.

10/2/2014

This place is pretty great.  Step up to the counter, make your order and it will come out to your table in a flash.  Seriously, I was impressed by how quickly the food arrived.

It's got a very chill vibe.  I felt very relaxed here.  There's no pretension.

The fried chicken ($8 for a breast and leg) is very good.  While the skin could use some better seasoning, the chicken meat is very moist and tender.  YES, you are supposed to put the honey butter on the chicken.  And it's gooood.

The biscuits were nice, but perhaps a little underwhelming.

Sides were generous for the price.

I very much enjoyed the pimento mac 'n' cheese ($3.75).  Velvety cheese and nice firm noodles.

The shmaltz smashed potatoes ($2.75) were sinfully delicious.  Thank you, chicken fat gravy!

The honey buffalo wings (5 for $5) were more tangy than hot.  They tasted like something you'd get in an Asian restaurant.  Pretty good, but better as a side than a main dish.

I'd pass on the Avondale Ginger Mule ($8) - Molasses, Ginger, Death's Door Gin, Lime, Mint.  I think the molasses is a mistake.  It took away from the refreshing feel you normally get from a mule.  Oh, well...

For food this good, I would expect to pay much more.  Props to Honey Butter for delivering quality food without a painful price!

3/15/2015

Came here for the first time before I left on vacay....
My friends couldn't have picked a better place to meet up. First off, it's a quaint spot, awesome environment, staff, decor- yata yata. But the food!!!  I had the two piece chicken boobies, with a side of fries and cornbread. Sighs, I'm thinking of making that trip. The Nugget had chicken and waffles, and he emptied his plate. My girls ate well too. If you're in need of a great foodgasm..., go here!!!!

• 

  Best food orgasm ever!!!

  Best food orgasm ever!!!
• 

  Deliciousness

  Deliciousness

8/3/2015

possibly the best fried chicken that i've ever had.

we were in town for the weekend, checked out this joint on a recommendation. ended up eating it two nights in a row. the chicken is moist, the breading is crispy, and you put the honey butter directly on the chicken! how amazing. also, the breasts and thighs are boneless, so you don't waste any time with that pesky bone.

the drinks are awesome too. i'm not a drinker, but i had a few there and i was impressed. sodas are tits too.

all in all, we'll be back next time we're in chicago.

2/8/2015

We had to check this place out after seeing it on Check Please. We went at about 2:00 on a Sunday afternoon. The place was packed with a line to the door throughout our entire experience.

Service : Meh. Counter service was short and rude. Table service is nonexistent other than your food being run out,  which is confusing since they have drink menus on the table.

Food: Perfectly cooked chicken with a great,  crispy skin. There is a bit of spice but nothing major. The star of the show is that honey butter. The chicken needs it for flavor. We shared three sides and none of them were good. Pimento Mac and cheese was
just gross. The potato salad was made with sweet potatoes and was just ok. The grits were the best side. Use the hot sauce on the table for them.

Drinks: Nothing spectacular. Actually,  the pop was gross too. I get it. It's a hipster chicken shack and they're trying to fill that niche, especially on the beverage side. Their NA beverages need some work.

• 

  Very nice crunch to the crust, decent seasoning but the star of the show is truly the honey butter.

  Very nice crunch to the crust, decent seasoning but the star of the show is truly the honey butter.

6/8/2015 Updated review

Their pricing hasn't changed!  We spent $40.00 on food for 2 persons.  We left hungry.  It wasn't bad, but well, I know this place is not a family style restaurant serving food enough to feed an army here, but I was hoping for more.  Taste wise, it was good, but not good enough for me to want to re-visit it.

6/24/2015

First time coming here & unfortunately I can't say I was blown away. I ordered The Original Fried Chicken Sandwich with no sides (I scanned the menu & realized payday is Friday). The cabbage was a pleasant surprise as I've never had it on a chicken sandwich. Whatever sauce they use is also phenomenal BUT I felt some type of way about paying almost $9 for a sandwich of that size. Sorry I didn't snap a photo but at that price, I want my side(s) included.

Not counting this one out by any means, though. The corner location, the outdoor patio, & the friendliness I encountered has inclined me to give this place a second chance.

6/20/2015

I had first heard of honey butter fried chicken from the RedEye review. They mentioned you put butter on fried chicken and then eat it. I was in!

I first had this place last year and I loved loved loved their fried chicken! It's juicy, slightly spicy and so crunchy! The butter you put on top makes it extra!

Don't really care for the sides but I would stay for the chicken! And the cute corn bread!

6/13/2015

I was so impressed with hbfc! We ordered and picked a seat outside, our food came out in under 5 minutes, I'd say we were in and out in 30 minutes. I got the classic chicken sandwich and the hill pop to drink, my bf got the chicken Reuben and a dark horse beer, both were incredibly tasty.  The pimento mac and cheese was a nice change from basic mac n cheese as well. The chicken was moist and tender while still maintaining that crunchy, fried element. The patio is beautiful. Well definitely be back soon

• 

  The classic chicken sandwich

  The classic chicken sandwich
• 
• 

  The reuben. It looked daunting but was so easy to eat

  The reuben. It looked daunting but was so easy to eat

7/25/2015

The first time we are there, the chicken was served hot and the sides were tasty. This time, the chicken was cold and the sides were overly salty. Maybe it was the sides we had but the whole experience was sub par. For the price (over $40 for three of us), we didn't see value at all. Quite disappointing in many levels.

7/26/2015

A delightful addition to the community.
Great people and Joe is the best.
Try the Gio - Joe! It  is delicious.
I Love HBFC

6/15/2015

My roommate and I went here with our suburban dads who were visiting the city for the weekend. We had just done the brewery tour at Revolution and were pretty full on beer, but we made the quick walk to Honey Butter anyway.

For the four of us, we ordered the four-piece fried chicken, an original chicken sandwich to split, an order of wings, the mac n cheese, the sweet potato salad, and the mashed potatoes. For drinks, my roommate and I both got the ginger mule (excellent - not too sweet, but still a great summer drink). Our dads got beers (really nice selection of craft beer) and iced tea. We ordered all of this at the counter (with super friendly service by the employee working), and paid about $70 for all of it.

The fried chicken was perfect, had some kick to it and a really nice crisp from the breading. We spread the honey butter on it (per recommendations from fellow Yelpers), which was amazing. The best thing we had was the chicken sandwich. My dad almost went to get another before realizing he was super full. He didn't shut up about it the rest of the night, and I'm convinced he might make frequent pilgrimages from the burbs just to have it again. But rightfully so. The sandwich is oozing with butter, but somehow still has a great crunch and the bun holds together without being soggy. The wings were good, but not as memorable as the sandwich or chicken.

As for the sides, the mac and cheese was great. The sweet potato salad had an interesting flavor profile - good, but not sure I would get it again. The mashed potatoes were good as well, and the little corn bread muffins you get are the perfect complement to the meal.

I will definitely dine here again. We were a little lucky as it was pretty empty when we got there, so we got ordered our food immediately and got it shortly thereafter. We snagged a great patio seat. This will definitely become a go-to spot.

5/26/2015

I've had more fried chicken from this place this year than I have had fried chicken ever in the last 3 years. I just keep going back. It's easy to get to on the Belmont bus (get off at Sacramento and walk up to Elston) and their patio is pretty rad. I haven't been to any of the other newly established fried chicken places (Parsons, The Roost, Leghorn...) so I can't compare it to those. But I like this place so I may just stick with what I like (creature of habit). :-)

Chicken has a great flavor. I personally like that they de-bone the breasts which makes it a lot easier to eat. The thought of putting butter on my chicken weirded me out the first time but it works. It's so good. I've gotten the 2 piece as well as the sandwich and I'd say go for the 2 piece because it comes with the little cornbread muffins that are just delightful. I wish the 2 piece came with a side because it's a little pricey without. However I'm not big on sides in general so I normally don't order them. I've had the mac & cheese and I just thought it was ok.

As far as beverages go, I love the fountain sodas! They're cane sugar sodas and one of the reasons I love coming here. I like to mix the black cherry (yes, black cherry!) with the cola. They also have a nice selection of beers.

One time when I was there they had samples of their brownie. It's good and has a kick at the end. It's rich though so I'd probably suggest sharing with a friend.

If you're going with a group, a might suggest sharing the 8 piece chicken and getting some sides and just smorgasbord-ing it. Friendly staff (they offer to take your trash for you!) and good service. Order at the counter and they bring it out to you.

4/15/2015

This place is overpriced. Plain and simple. The portions are far too small for what you get. I love efforts for"experimenting" with different takes on southern cooking but being from Kentucky maybe I'm just a bit biased on what I consider "good" chicken.
Brunch items were a little better but again...not for the price. If you want to be around "trendy" peeps who think they know good food... Do it!
I would be happier with a Popeye's or even a Harold's run any day...

7/13/2015

This is our current favorite restaurant in the city for Southern comfort food that's family-friendly with a beautiful outdoor eating area. The location has easy parking, and usually not a long wait  if it's nice out. The chicken is crispy, and the honey butter just adds this great dimension. We love the roasted garlic grits, and mac n cheese and kale slaw are delicious too. The chicken and french toast for brunch is always a great option, but we typically stick with the 4-piece to share because eating it on it's own is so good. The kids meal is a great value and my 2yo loves it. Love the ginger ale.

12/21/2014

Overpriced, small portion, not memorable.
My friend made a big deal about this place, coming from the South, I was dying to find a good soul food place. This is no different than the Real Urban Barbeque place by me in Vernon Hills. Except it's chicken and not pork.
Ordered the chicken with grits brunch and I DID NOT know it was all going to come smashed up in one bowl. There were no chicken but small cut up pieces that were all diced up. The grits had hot sauce on it, which ruined it all. The only good part was the scallion and egg. The grits were not creamy and did not taste right. All that for $10.99, very small portion, did not feel satisfied.
I had one of my friend's corn bread muffin, the muffin on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best, is 5 without the honey butter, with the honey butter, it became an 8.
2 pieces of chicken for $5.99. Dangggg
Mac and cheese side $3.99. Mashed potato around that same price.
You order and then you sit down, they bring out your food. There is no server. Tip is optional. You go get your own water.
When we were placing our order at the register, a guy told another coworker, once the line clears out, someone else walks in. True.
The best part about this place is the ambiance. Pretty urban and clean.
Nothing special. I am about to give up on my soul food search in the Windy city.

5/26/2014

I've heard great things about Honey Butter Fried Chicken so I decided to make the trek from downtown to check this place out with my friend. We went on a Saturday afternoon and the place was pretty packed, but the line to order your food went pretty fast. When I went to order my food I was informed that they were out of the chicken sandwich so I had to pick a new dish on the spot (which caused a mild panic attack since I had a line of hungry chicken lovers behind me waiting).

Overall, I thought the food was good (I sampled my friend's meal), but it wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. Also, I found it a little weird that when paying (via an iPad which is pretty nice), that I was asked how much tip I wanted to give. Seeing how I was only ordering my food I didn't understand why I was being asked to give a tip or what tip to give for service I had yet to receive.

Food:
I had the Reuben Melt (Fried Chicken, Cheddar Cheese, Sauerkraut, Caramelized Onions, Thousand Island Dressing, Pumpernickel Bun) - this sandwich was good and messy. The sandwich was good, but didn't have my mouth dancing for joy.

My friend got the friend chicken and French Toast (Challah French Toast, Fried Chicken, Bourbon Maple Syrup and Honey Butter) - which again was good, but didn't knock my socks off.

7/25/2015

I ordered chicken to go and when I got home, no honey butter. I called and told the girl who answered the phone that they forgot to include the honey butter in my to go order and her response "What do you want me to do?"
Just include the honey butter....duh. She also promised a gift certificate, but too cheap to keep her promise. With the price they charge on their average fried chicken, I couldn't believe it.

6/7/2015

Very nice atmosphere. The food selection was great! The staff was very friendly and polite. I'm a fan of the grits but the chicken is extremely tasty as well. The chicken was not greasy at all. Try it!